'Does He Even Like Her?’: Noah Lyles Faces Online Scrutiny Over Viral Wedding Gown Reaction

Olympian Noah Lyles is facing backlash online after his reaction to his wife Junelle Bromfield’s wedding dress went viral.

During their “first look” video posted by Bromfield on TikTok, fans seemed unimpressed with Lyles’ tone and body language while complimenting his wife's wedding gown.

As he joked about her gown’s long train, asking how they were supposed to spin in it, Lyles’ comments didn't stick well with netizens.

What was meant to be a light moment quickly turned into criticism, with social media users calling his response insensitive and underwhelming.

Bromfield, a Jamaican sprinter, shared a video on TikTok from the April 4 ceremony showing the couple’s “first look” moment before the wedding.

In the video, Lyles, dressed in a brown tuxedo, turned around to see Bromfield in a beaded white ball gown.

However, once he turned, the first thing he uttered was, “Oh wow, OK. Oh wow. I didn’t think you’d go with the princess dress.”

When Bromfield asked “why?”, he added, “D**n, that’s a train! And we’re supposed to spin in this?”

Further, as his behavior, body language and lack of compliments led Bromfield to admit feeling nervous, Lyles tried to reassure her, saying the guests looked “good” and the day would be “super fun.”

Netizens, however, didn't seem too impressed with Lyles' remarks.

The video went viral, garnering over two million views on TikTok, and was shared on several other social media platforms.

One user on X wrote, “Not one compliment? No ‘d--- baby you look amazing’ nothing??”

Another individual on Instagram commented, “Does he even like her?”

On TikTok, as the video gained traction, it reached content creator Shawnda, who noted, “His whole first look is all critique and no compliments... Not a ‘you look beautiful, you look gorgeous, I can’t wait to marry me’ nothing. Just a whole bunch of ‘huh.’”

She further added, “I think the last thing that a bride wants after spending all that time, money and energy into hair, makeup, dress [and] all of that is for you to laugh in her face not once but twice.”

Following the backlash, Bromfield addressed the criticism toward Lyles’s reaction.

In another TikTok video posted on Sunday, April 19, she said his comments were meant to support her during an emotional time.

“Leading up to [our] wedding all of my sisters got denied for their visas. My sisters, nieces, my best friends of I don’t know how many years...and it was just a lot emotionally because I wanted my family to be there,” Bromfield explained in the video.

She added that since she had previously discussed wearing a mermaid-style dress, Lyles expected her to appear in it.

According to Bromfield, this is the reason why Lyles seemed surprised during the reveal of her princess dress.

Bromfield further clarified that she was feeling overwhelmed by the cameras present around them on the day.

“In that moment, that reaction I got from Noah is exactly what I needed because he tried to make me happy. He tried to make me talk because if he did not do that I probably would be... shut off the whole wedding,” Bromfield shared.